Organization: UNHCR – United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Location: Istanbul
Grade: Administrative support – GS-6, General Service – No need for Higher Education – Locally recruited position
Occupational Groups:
Social Affairs
Civil Society and Local governance
Protection Officer (Refugee)
Closing Date: 2024-09-23
Grade
GS6
Staff Member / Affiliate Type
General Service
Reason
Temporary > Temporary Assignment/ Appointment
Hardship Level
A (least hardship)
Family Type
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Residential location (if applicable)
Target Start Date
2024-10-10
Target End Date
2024-12-31
Deadline for Applications
September 23, 2024
Standard Job Description
Community-Based Protection Associate
Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Community-Based Protection Associate is a member of the Protection Unit and may report to the Protection Officer, Community-Based Protection Officer, or another more senior staff member in the Protection Unit. Under the overall direction of the Protection Unit, and in coordination with other UNHCR staff, government, NGO partners and other stakeholders, the Community-Based Protection Associate works directly with communities of concern to identify the risks they face and to leverage their capacities to protect themselves, their families and communities. The incumbent may have direct supervisory responsibility for part of the protection and/or support staff and supports the application of community-based protection standards, operational procedures and practices in community-based protection delivery at the field level. To fulfil this role, the Community-Based Protection Associate is required to spend a substantial percentage of the workday outside the office, building and maintaining networks within communities of PoC. The development and maintenance of constructive relationships with PoC that measurably impact and enhance protection planning, programming and results, form the core of the work of the incumbent. S/he also supports the designing of a community-based protection strategy by ensuring that it is based on consultation with PoC.
All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR’s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.
Duties
– Assist functional units, the Multi-Functional Team (MFT) and senior management to integrate participatory and community-based approaches in the overall protection strategy and operational procedures.
– Through relationships with PoC and network of partners, stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment and provide advice to the protection team. Understand the perspectives, capacities, needs and resources of the PoC and advise the protection team accordingly, highlighting the specific protection needs of women and men, children, youth and older persons, persons with disabilities, marginalized groups.
– Work with host communities to identify opportunities for national civil society involvement in improving the protection of PoC.
– Work with implementing and operational partners as well as with displaced and local communities to develop community-owned activities to address, where applicable, the social, educational, psycho-social, cultural, health, organisational and livelihood concerns as well as child protection and prevention and response to GBV.
– Assist in the analysis that identifies the capacities of communities of concern and risks they face.
– Support participatory assessments by multifunctional teams and ongoing consultation with PoC.
– Assist in planning and monitoring of programmes and budgets, with an AGD perspective
– Build office capacity for community-based protection through training and establishing systems for community mobilization and participation of PoC.
– Support communities in establishing representation and coordination structures.
– Ensure community understanding of UNHCR’s commitment to deliver on accountability and quality assurance in its response.
– Act as an interpreter in exchange of routine information, contribute to related liaison activities and respond directly to routine queries.
– Contribute to the enforcement of participatory AGD sensitive analysis as an essential basis for all of UNHCR’s work.
– Initiate AGD sensitive interventions at the appropriate level on community-based protection issues and to respond to protection concerns and incidents within the office, with external interlocutors, groups and individuals based on agreed parameters.
– Identify and select which individuals or groups to prioritize for counselling and field visits based on agreed criteria.
– Intervene with authorities on protection.
– Enforce compliance of implementing partners with global protection policies and standards of professional integrity in the delivery of protection services.
– Recommend and prepare payments to individual cases.
– Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).
– Perform other related duties as required.
Minimum Qualifications
Years of Experience / Degree Level
For G6 – 3 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 2 years relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher
Field(s) of Education
Not applicable.
Certificates and/or Licenses
Development, Human Rights, International Law
International Social Work, Social Science, Political Science,
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)
Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Not specified.
Desirable
UNHCR learning programmes (PLP). Knowledge of MSRP.
Functional Skills
IT-Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
*IT-Computer Literacy
UN-UN/UNHCR Administrative Rules, Regulations and Procedures
PR-Community-based Protection – Principles and methodologies
CL-Multi-stakeholder Communications with Partners, Government & Community
PG-Stakeholder management and coordination with Implementing Partners (Gov/NGO/Corporate)
TR-Capacity Buidling
(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)
Language Requirements
For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.
For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.
For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.
All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power.
As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.
This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.
Desired Candidate Profile
UNHCR Istanbul Field Office is closely working with provincial directorates of line ministries and PDMMs. INGOs/NGOs, local governments, and refugee populations in the Marmara Region. The population of persons of concern in the area of responsibility is over 750,000 persons in 11 provinces.
In this complex environment in a metropolitan city with 39 districts, Istanbul Field Office expanded its network and capacity-building activities with diverse actors such as municipalities, social service centers, mukhtars, imams, and other significant local actors that contribute to the expansion of protection space for refugees.
The Field Office is strengthening the coordination mechanism in the Marmara region, in line with UNHCR’s strategic priorities. Given the large cosmopolite nature of Istanbul in terms of financial, cultural, and political prospects, the Field Office is also hosting high-level visits and accompany the high-level missions from time to time.
As part of the team, the incumbent will be requested to conduct missions to different provinces in the Marmara region and to work within the team in the field. To enhance protection monitoring, the Field Office is frequently undertaking missions and delivering social cohesion and CBP activities in 11 cities under its area of responsibility. The Field Office is also engaged in capacity development activities in addition to its supervisory role in terms of protection concerns both in detention and urban context.
The incumbent is expected to regularly attend implementing and operational partners as well as with displaced and local communities to develop community-owned activities to address, where applicable, the social, educational, psycho-social, cultural, health, organizational and livelihood concerns as well as child protection and prevention and response to GBV.
The incumbent is expected to assist functional units, the Multi-Functional Team (MFT) and senior management to integrate participatory and community-based approaches in the overall protection strategy and operational procedures.
The incumbent is expected to support the office with mapping of RLOs, CBP, Social Cohesion and Education backgrounded actors in the Marmara Region, update contact info regularly and support the team with the RLO coordination meetings. Through relationships with PoC and network of partners, stay abreast of political, social, economic, and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment and provide advice to the protection team. Understand the perspectives, capacities, needs and resources of the PoC and advise the protection team, accordingly, highlighting the specific protection needs of women and men, children, youth and older persons, persons with disabilities, marginalized groups.
The incumbent is expected to follow up social tension incidents and good examples in the AoR by relevant authorities, partners and RLOs.
The incumbent is requested to have strong communication and drafting skills as he/she will be meeting on regular basis stakeholders, civil society, refugees, and the host community. The incumbent is expected to contribute to the functioning of the Office, including but not limited to the areas of practices explained above.
The incumbent is expected to build and maintain effective communication with communities of concern, local authorities and protection and assistance partners including Refugee Led Organizations (RLO). The incumbent will also be in contact with governmental counterparts such as PDMM, PDFLSS, PDoNE and other relevant institutions and also be in communication with other functional units within country office in order to coordinate protection response. The incumbent is expected to monitor the provided GRANT for RLO.
The incumbent will report to Assistant Field Officer in Istanbul Field Office and no supervisory role is expected during the temporary assignment.
The incumbent is requested to have strong representation and negotiation skills and have very good communication and drafting skills in Turkish and English. One of the other UN languages such as Arabic or Farsi is desirable.
University Degree in Community Development/Social Work – Human Rights – International Law – Political Science – Social Sciences or other related fields of education is desirable.
The incumbent’s relevant experience with UN Agencies or humanitarian actors is desirable.
The incumbent should be flexible to respond to changing circumstances in the operational or office environment, including those that may require long working hours such as following urgent protection cases with the entities.
PLEASE DO NOT USE TURKISH CHARACTERS IN YOUR NAME & SURNAME INFORMATION.
Recruitment as a UNHCR staff member and engagement under a UNHCR affiliate scheme or as an intern is subject to successful reference checks and integrity clearance.
A break of minimum 31 days is required before a staff member who currently holds a Fixed-term or Indefinite Appointment may be rehired on a Temporary Appointment.
UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing, training or any other fees).
Only short-listed candidates will be notified. The recruitment process might include written test and/or oral interview for this job opening. No late applications will be accepted.
External candidates should be legally present in Türkiye at the time of application, recruitment and hire.
Non-Turkish citizens are required to upload their residence permits or relevant documents under the ‘Certifications’ section, by selecting the type as ‘Personnel Administration – Other’, in order to be considered for this job opening. Applications by non-Turkish citizens will NOT be considered if a valid residence permit is not attached to the application.
For further information on how to apply, please visit ‘UNHCR – Application and Selection’ page, at https://www.unhcr.org/how-to-apply.html.
Functional Clearance
This position doesn’t require a functional clearance
Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level)
,
,
Desired languages
,
,
Additional Qualifications
Skills
CL-Multi-stakeholder Communications with Partners, Government & Community, IT-Computer Literacy, IT-Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), PG-Stakeholder management and coordination with Implementing Partners (Gov/NGO/Corporate), PR-Community-based Protection – Principles and methodologies, TR-Capacity Buidling, UN-UN/UNHCR Administrative Rules, Regulations and Procedures
Education
Certifications
Community Development/Social Work – Other, Development Studies – Other, Human Rights – Other, International Law – Other, Political Science – Other, Social Sciences – Other
Work Experience
UNHCR Salary Calculator
https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales
Other information